When living on a budget, splurging on ingredients for a one-time dish is a big no-no. The past few weeks I had large bags of green beans from my CSA but didn’t know what to do with them other than steaming and covering with Earth Balance.

For green bean casserole, a creamy base is needed, usually in the form of a cream of mushroom soup. This is a hard ingredient to find for a vegan and sometimes a calorie-filled substitute is needed, usually in the form of a mushroom roux using flour.

On Friday I experimented with what I had on hand — cauliflower and butternut squash. I steamed and pureed these ingredients in order to cover the green beans.

It wouldn’t be green bean casserole without the fried onions, which amazingly are already vegan. A healthy alternative can be caramelized onions, though that is more time consuming.

This green bean casserole might not taste exactly the same as a non-vegan version, but it is easy, healthy and chock-full of nutritious veggies.

Healthy, vegan green bean casserole

Ingredients

2 cups chopped cauliflower

2 cups frozen, cubed butternut squash

1 small red onion

1 1/2 cups of water

1 tablespoon garlic powder

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

1 teaspoon pepper (or more to taste)

3 pounds fresh green beans, cut into small pieces

1 to 1 1/2 cups of fried onions

Recipe

Add chopped cauliflower, cubed butternut squash and water to a pot. Bring to a boil. Add a lid and lower to a simmer, steaming for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, wash and cut fresh green beans into small pieces, place in a pot with about 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add a lid, lower the temperature to a simmer and cook for 6 minutes.

Drain green beans when they are done and place back into the pot.

Place butternut squash, cauliflower and water into a blender. Add garlic powder, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to the blender and puree. If the mixture seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of water to make sure it completely blends. You might need to scrape down the sides and repeat the pureeing.

Add a bit of the puree to the bottom of a 9×13 dish. Add green beans and then coat with mixture. Stir until all the beans are coated.

Spread the fried onions over the top, and cover with foil. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

When I was a little girl, I LOVED SpaghettiOs. A big bowl of SpaghettiOs brings back memories of days spent with the Nana and Pop, where I watched Disney Channel (we didn’t have it at home) and play Chinese checkers.

Being vegan, I don’t get SpaghettiOs that often anymore, unless I figure out a way to make them myself. Well, I did! Jamieson even liked the recipe, saying the dish tasted authentic. I adapted this recipe by Nikki at Seeded at the Table.

Which of you vegans are hankering for SpaghettiOs? I know I am!

I thought this dish was super easy to make, about 30 minutes or so. Make it for dinner and take leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I know your coworkers will be jealous of your homemade and healthier dish than the canned version of youth.

Homemade vegan SpaghettiOsServes 4 to 6

Ingredients:

8 ounces ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

4 tablespoons Earth Balance

1/4 cup soy milk (or other nut milk)

1 cup shredded Daiya vegan cheddar cheese

Recipe:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, to al dente (about 10 minutes).

Drain and place pasta back into large pot.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic powder and red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt, pepper, sugar and vegan butter. Heat, while stirring, until the butter is melted.

Slowly stir in the soy milk, then turn the heat to low. Simmer at low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir the shredded vegan cheese into the soup until melted.

Pour as much of the tomato sauce into the pasta as desired; stir to combine. You will have a little left over, which can be pour on individual servings if eater desires.

(This recipe was first featured for Meatout Mondays on the No Sweat, York, blog.)

Delaware has a special place in my heart.

My family would vacation in Delaware (Bethany Beach!) often when I was growing up. We stayed in Ocean City, Md., quite a few times, but I remember the first time we stayed at Bethany Beach at a condo complex. It was pure bliss for me. I miss going down there, and I am hopefully planning a trip for this summer.

Delaware, like any coastal city, is known for its seafood. This is why I chose crab puffs for this state.

When I made this dish, it was for a Thirty-One party I had in January.

I didn’t have a lot of time to create these crab puffs, and if you wanted them to look more like hushpuppies, that wouldn’t fly. (Hushpuppies remind me of Long John Silver’s!) Then I stumbled upon this recipe by Pillsbury and rejoiced. Many of Pillsbury’s products are vegan friendly, which is helpful for making a last-minute pizza or finger food for a party.

These cute little puffs can be a great dish for dinner, paired with a fresh salad or sauteed veggies. It only dirtied two bowls and a cookie tray, and took about 30 minutes to make.

In a medium bowl, pour in drained chickpeas and mash until desired consistency. Add garlic and hot sauce or chili powder and stir. (If you have kelp powder or another seaweed powder and want a more sea-like taste, add a generous teaspoon.)

If using fake egg, follow directions on the container and make one egg. (I usedVegg, which gave the dish an eggy flavor. But it is not needed to keep the filling together.) Add Vegenaise to the bowl and mix.

I love green beans. I have come to love them more fresh from the organic farm. They can be a pain to pick, as they like to hide and blend in. But they are so easy to cook and so yummy, too!

When I started by 50 States, 50 Vegan Dishes challenge, I chose this recipe because it was quick, simple and included green beans.

Since I have more green beans than I know what to do with them, I figured I would do this recipe for a Vegan MoFo challenge.

Traditional Arkansas green beans call for sugar and bacon. Bacon isn’t very vegan-friendly, but there are great alternatives now. This might not be as low in calories because it still uses sugar and the Earth Balance can get fatty, but it is definitely a good alternative. I cut back on the sugar and made it quicker by pan sauteing instead of putting it in the oven. I guess that’s the perks of no meat. I also used fresh beans instead of the canned.

It wasn’t hard for me to put this together, so whip it up as a side dish for dinner!

Ingredients:

A bag full of fresh green beans, probably about three cups if cut in half

5 to 6 slices of LightLife Smart bacon, ripped into pieces

3 tbsps of white sugar

2 tbsps of Earth Balance or other vegan spread

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

Recipe:

Pluck the ends off the green beans, and cut in half if you want an easier way to eat them. (I kept them long.)

Boil the green beans in a little water for about 7 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt a tablespoon in a skillet, and add the crumbled Smart Bacon to the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes.

Drain the green beans and add to the skillet with the Smart Bacon. Add the garlic powder, tamari and the other tablespoon of Earth Balance. Saute for a few minutes to let flavors meld.